This invention relates to network access servers and more particularly to a novel dial access stack architecture.
A Network Access Server (NAS) is used for processing multiple fax, analog modem, digital data or other types of calls sent over a Public Service Telephone Network (PSTN) or any other type of communication system. The NAS includes T1, E1,T3 and/or E3 line interfaces that send and receive information over the PSTN. Controllers, framers and modem modules in the NAS convert channel data from the line interface units into digital packets. The packets are sent from the modems over a backplane to router circuitry in the NAS that sends the packets out a packet based network over a LAN or WAN port.
As Internet traffic increases, there is a need to increase the number of communication channels that the NAS can handle at the same time. The prior solution for increasing NAS call processing capacity was to simply increase the number of line interface units, framers and modem modules in the NAS chassis. However, NAS capacity is limited to the physical number of modules that can be supported in one NAS box. Processing capacity is also limited by the bandwidth of the buses used in a NAS backplane for sending data between the different NAS processing modules. Thus current NASs have limited scalability and can only process information from a limited number of communication channels.
The individual line interface units and other processing modules typically communicate to each other using a proprietary communication protocol. A NAS therefore cannot be easily upgraded or interchanged with modules used in other NAS architectures or incorporating different processing technology. All processing modules must also be compatible with the physical board sizes and interfaces used for connecting the modules to a NAS backplane. These restrictions also make it difficult to upgrade NASs or increase the communication links the NAS can process.
Current NAS architectures provide little or no fault tolerance against failures that occur in the field. Upon encountering a failure, field service engineers typically swap out the entire NAS box. For example, when a single modem module in the NAS fails, the entire NAS box is turned off and the modem card replaced. When the NAS is shut down, every call coming into the NAS is disrupted. Because the NAS handles a large number of calls at the same time, any failure, no matter how small, disrupts a large number of telephone calls.
Some NAS architectures break the NAS system into many very small subsystem cards. When a failure occurs, the whole subsystem card is decommissioned and manually swapped by an operator with a standby subsystem card at a later time. Even if a subsystem is partially operational, it is fully decommissioned if a failure is detected. To reduce the effects of failures, redundant cards are placed in the NAS chassis. However, the redundant cards take up space in the NAS chassis and require additional power and interconnectivity that further reduce NAS scalability.
Accordingly, a need remains for a network access server architecture that is more scalable and more easily upgradeable while at the same time being more fault tolerant.
The Dial Access Stacking Architecture (DASA) provides scalability and resiliency to fault conditions and can easily aggregate and integrate new access media. Applications such as voice, video and multicasting can be seamlessly added. The DASA architecture can scale from hundreds to thousands of ports to optimize performance. System redundancy avoids any single point of failure.
The DASA includes a stack of network access servers each independently processing information for communication links established over a public telephone network. A primary interconnect couples the stack of network access servers together through a primary network. A routing engine is coupled through the primary interconnect to the stack of network access servers. The network access servers, primary interconnect and the routing engine, in one embodiment, are all independently operating stand alone systems. The primary interconnect comprises a packet-based network switch that allows pairs of the network access servers to communicate with each other in parallel while one of the other network access servers transfers information to the routing engine. It also provides an adequate buffer to hold packets for automatic re-transmission when the recipient is busy. As such the transmitting entity (network access server or routing engine) never has to wait. This in turn reduces the probability that the connected entities are busy. A secondary interconnect couples the stack of network access servers together through a secondary network that operates independently of the primary network.
A system controller is used to monitor, configure and debug the other DASA components. The system controller independently accesses the stack of network access servers through the primary and secondary interconnect. A serial bus is also coupled between the network access stack and the system controller for system debugging.
The DASA is used with a Stack Group Bidding Protocol (SGBP) to implement a large multi-link dial pool that is multiple times larger than a single NAS can support. Members of a stack group are established from the multiple network access servers. Multiple communication links from one site are then established to the stack group members that operate together as a multilink bundle. The stack group members upon establishing the communication links send bid requests for mastership of the multilink bundle. One of the stack group members making a highest bid is assigned as a bundle master. The communication links in the bundle are sent to the bundle master through the primary or secondary interconnect and the multilink session is conducted with the bundle master through the interconnect independently of the router. This reduces bottlenecks that could occur in architectures where all communications are required to go through the router or a central processing unit.
Unlike proprietary scaling solutions that use customized hardware, DASA has no theoretical constraint on scaling. The only limiting factor is the processing power of each component. The DASA allows integration with a wide selection of readily available commercial components. Thus, as technology advances and more powerful or lower cost components become available, the new components can be easily integrated into the DASA system.
The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.